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Generalist
Certificates classified as generalist signify skills in a broad range of general interpreting/transliterating assignments. Holders of generalist certificates have met or exceeded a nationally recognized standard of minimum competence in interpreting and/or transliterating. Individual certificates vary in their scope so it is important to know what each credential means.
Also See:
CMP Requirements for Generalist Certification
The following is a list of certificates in this category:
NIC (National Interpreter Certification)
Read a letter from the president and executive directory regarding the NIC>>
Individuals achieving certification at the NIC, NIC Advanced or NIC Master level are all professionally certified interpreters. The National Interpreter Certification (NIC) exam tests interpreting skills and knowledge in three critical domains:
- General knowledge of the field of interpreting through the NIC Knowledge exam
- Ethical decision making through the interview portion of the NIC Performance test
- Interpreting and transliterating skills through the performance portion of the test.
In all three domains, certificate holders must demonstrate professional knowledge and skills that meet or exceed the minimum professional standards necessary to perform in a broad range of interpretation and transliteration assignments.
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NIC
Individuals who achieve the NIC level have passed the NIC Knowledge exam. They have also scored within the standard range of a professional interpreter on the interview and performance portions of the test.
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NIC Advanced
Individuals who achieved the NIC Advanced level have passed the NIC Knowledge exam; scored within the standard range of a professional interpreter on the interview portion; and scored within the high range on the performance portion of the test.
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NIC Master
Individuals who achieved the NIC Master level have passed the NIC Knowledge exam. They have scored within the high range of a professional interpreter on both the interview and performance portions of the test.
Individuals who achieve any of the three NIC certification levels are to be commended.
From the beginning of the test development process, under the mandate of the NAD-RID National Council on Interpreting (NCI), the subject matter experts on the test development committee were given the task of developing a test that “raised the bar” for ASL/English interpreting and transliterating standards. This resulted in the development of a challenging NAD-RID NIC test.
Passing the test at the NIC level indicates that the interpreter has demonstrated skills in interpreting that meet a standard professional performance level and should be able to perform the varied functions of interpreting on a daily basis with competence and skill. It also shows that an individual has passed a test with both interpreting and transliterating elements, as opposed to one or the other.
Additionally, with increasingly higher standards for the NIC Advanced and NIC Master levels of the test, progressively fewer individuals will meet these requirements. Achieving either the Advanced or Master level is an accomplishment and indicates that the individual exceeds the professional standards established in most routine interpreting assignments. Individuals holding the NIC Advanced and/or Master level certifications may be expected to perform competently in all routine interpreting assignments as well as in assignments that may be more complex in nature or that require interpreting skills above standard levels.
RID Certificates
CI (Certificate of Interpretation)
Holders of this certificate are recognized as fully certified in interpretation and have demonstrated the ability to interpret between American Sign Language (ASL) and spoken English for both sign-to-voice and voice-to-sign tasks. The interpreter’s ability to transliterate is not considered in this certification. Holders of the CI are recommended for a broad range of interpretation assignments. This test is available until December 2008.
CT (Certificate of Transliteration)
Holders of this certificate are recognized as fully certified in transliteration and have demonstrated the ability to transliterate between English-based sign language and spoken English for both sign-to-voice and voice-to-sign tasks. The transliterator’s ability to interpret is not considered in this certification. Holders of the CT are recommended for a broad range of transliteration assignments. This test is available until December 2008.
CI and CT (Certificate of Interpretation and Certificate of Transliteration)
Holders of both full certificates (as listed above) have demonstrated competence in both interpretation and transliteration. Holders of the CI and CT are recommended for a broad range of interpretation and transliteration assignments.
CDI-P (Certified Deaf Interpreter-Provisional)
Holders of this provisional certification are interpreters who are deaf or hard-of-hearing, and who have demonstrated a minimum of one year experience working as an interpreter; completion of at least eight hours of training on the NAD-RID Code of Professional Conduct; and eight hours of training in general interpretation as it relates to the interpreter who is deaf or hard-of-hearing. Holders of this certificate are recommended for a broad range of assignments where an interpreter who is deaf or hard-of-hearing would be beneficial. This test is no longer available.
CDI (Certified Deaf Interpreter)
Holders of this certification are interpreters who are deaf or hard-of-hearing, and who have completed at least eight hours of training on the NAD-RID Code of Professional Conduct; eight hours of training on the role and function of an interpreter who is deaf or hard-of-hearing; and have passed a comprehensive combination of written and performance tests. Holders of this certificate are recommended for a broad range of assignments where an interpreter who is deaf or hard-of-hearing would be beneficial. This test is currently available.
CSC (Comprehensive Skills Certificate)
Holders of this full certificate have demonstrated the ability to interpret between American Sign Language (ASL) and spoken English, and to transliterate between spoken English and an English-based sign language. Holders of this certificate are recommended for a broad range of interpreting and transliterating assignments. The CSC examination was offered until 1987. This test is no longer available.
MCSC (Master Comprehensive Skills Certificate)
The MCSC examination was designed with the intent of testing for a higher standard of performance than the CSC. Holders of this certificate were required to hold the CSC prior to taking this exam. Holders of this certificate are recommended for a broad range of interpreting and transliterating assignments. This test is no longer available.
RSC (Reverse Skills Certificate)
Holders of this full certificate have demonstrated the ability to interpret between American Sign Language (ASL) and English-based sign language or transliterate between spoken English and a signed code for English. Holders of this certificate are deaf or hard-of-hearing and interpretation/transliteration is rendered in ASL, spoken English and a signed code for English or written English. Holders of the RSC are recommended for a broad range of interpreting assignments where the use of an interpreter who is deaf or hard-of-hearing would be beneficial. This test is no longer offered. Individuals interested in this certificate should take the CDI exam.
OTC (Oral Transliteration Certificate)
Holders of this generalist certificate have demonstrated, using silent oral techniques and natural gestures, the ability to transliterate a spoken message from a person who hears to a person who is deaf or hard-of-hearing. They have also demonstrated the ability to understand and repeat the message and intent of the speech and mouth movements of the person who is deaf or hard-of-hearing. This test is currently available.
OIC:C (Oral Interpreting Certificate: Comprehensive)
Holders of this generalist certificate demonstrated both the ability to transliterate a spoken message from a person who hears to a person who is deaf or hard-of-hearing and the ability to understand and repeat the message and intent of the speech and mouth movements of the person who is deaf or hard-of-hearing. This test is no longer offered. Individuals interested in oral certification should take the OTC exam.
OIC:S/V (Oral Interpreting Certificate: Spoken to Visible)
Holders of this partial certificate demonstrated the ability to transliterate a spoken message from a person who hears to a person who is deaf or hard-of-hearing. This individual received scores on the OIC:C examination which prevented the awarding of full OIC:C certification. This test is no longer offered. Individuals interested in oral certification should take the OTC exam.
OIC:V/S (Oral Interpreting Certificate: Visible to Spoken)
Holders of this partial certificate demonstrated the ability to understand the speech and silent mouth movements of a person who is deaf or hard-of-hearing and to repeat the message for a hearing person. This individual received scores on the OIC:C examination which prevented the awarding of full OIC:C certification. This test is no longer offered. Individuals interested in oral certification should take the OTC exam noted above.
IC/TC (Interpretation Certificate/Transliteration Certificate)
Holders of this partial certificate demonstrated the ability to transliterate between English and a signed code for English and the ability to interpret between American Sign Language (ASL) and spoken English. This individual received scores on the CSC examination which prevented the awarding of full CSC certification. This test is no longer offered.
IC (Interpretation Certificate)
Holder of this partial certificate demonstrated the ability to interpret between American Sign Language (ASL) and spoken English. This individual received scores on the CSC examination which prevented the awarding of full CSC certification or partial IC/TC certification. The IC was formerly known as the Expressive Interpreting Certificate (EIC). This test is no longer offered.
TC (Transliteration Certificate)
Holders of this partial certificate demonstrated the ability to transliterate between spoken English and a signed code for English. This individual received scores on the CSC examination which prevented the awarding of full CSC certification or IC/TC certification. The TC was formerly known as the Expressive Transliterating Certificate (ETC). This test is no longer offered.
NAD Certificates
- NAD III (Generalist) - Average Performance
Holders of this certificate possess above average voice-to-sign skills and good sign-to-voice skills or vise versa. This individual has demonstrated the minimum competence needed to meet generally accepted interpreter standards. Occasional words or phrases may be deleted but the expressed concept is accurate. The individual displays good control of the grammar of the second language and is generally accurate and consistent, but is not qualified for all situations.
- NAD IV (Advanced) - Above Average Performance
Holders of this certificate possess excellent voice-to-sign skills and above average sign-to-voice skills or vice versa. This individual has demonstrated above average skill in any given area. Performance is consistent and accurate. Fluency is smooth, with little deleted, and the viewer has no question to the candidate’s competency. With this certificate, an individual should be able to interpret in most situations.
- NAD V (Master) - Superior Performance
Holders of this certificate possess superior voice-to-sign skills and excellent sign-to-voice skills. This individual has demonstrated excellent to outstanding ability in any given area. There are minimum flaws in their performance, and they have demonstrated interpreting skills necessary in almost all situations.
Ed: K-12 (Educational Certificate: K-12)
Holders of this certificate have demonstrated the ability to expressively interpret classroom content and discourse and the ability to receptively interpret student or teen sign language. It is not limited to any one sign language or system. This certificate is issued to interpreters who work with students and teenagers who use predominately American Sign Language (ASL), Manually-Coded English (MCE) and Pigdin Sign English (PSE). Holders also demonstrate proficiency in the voice-to-sign and sign-to-voice interpreting skills of interpreters who work in the elementary and secondary school classroom setting.
The examinations for this certificate are developed and maintained by the Educational Interpreter Performance Assessment (EIPA) and is administered by Boys Town National Research Hospital in Omaha, Nebraska.
